Russia's recent behaviour in the Ukraine has pushed back all trade talks with the country, International Trade Minister Ed Fast said Wednesday.

Fast led a trade mission to Russia in June of 2012, saying at the time that "as a growing economy, Russia is a priority market for Canada and we are committed to growing the Canadian economy by helping Canadian workers succeed in this emerging market."

But with current circumstances being what they are, "we are going to focus on other trading partners," he said. "So as we look to promote Canada's potash industry we are going to look at markets like Bangladesh, China, India — which all desperately need Canada's potash resources."

He also said economic sanctions that ban importation of Russian products won't make much of a dent to the Canadian economy either.